Ludovic Godet, Boston US

Ludovic Godet, Boston, MA US

Patent application number

Description

Published

20110124186

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLABLY IMPLANTING WORKPIECES - A plasma processing apparatus comprises a plasma source configured to produce a plasma in a plasma chamber, such that the plasma contains ions for implantation into a workpiece. The apparatus also includes a focusing plate arrangement having an aperture arrangement configured to modify a shape of a plasma sheath of the plasma proximate the focusing plate such that ions exiting an aperture of the aperture arrangement define focused ions. The apparatus further includes a processing chamber containing a workpiece spaced from the focusing plate such that a stationary implant region of the focused ions at the workpiece is substantially narrower that the aperture. The apparatus is configured to create a plurality of patterned areas in the workpiece by scanning the workpiece during ion implantation.

05-26-2011

20110186749

ION SOURCE - An ion source includes an arc chamber having an extraction aperture, and a plasma sheath modulator positioned in the arc chamber. The plasma sheath modulator is configured to control a shape of a boundary between a plasma and a plasma sheath proximate the extraction aperture, wherein the plasma sheath modulator includes a semiconductor. A well focused ion beam having a high current density can be generated by the ion source. A high current density ion beam can improve the throughput of an associated process. The emittance of the ion beam can also be controlled.

08-04-2011

20110223546

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODIFYING SUBSTRATE RELIEF FEATURES USING ION IMPLANTION - A method of treating resist features comprises positioning, in a process chamber, a substrate having a set of patterned resist features on a first side of the substrate and generating a plasma in the process chamber having a plasma sheath adjacent to the first side of the substrate. The method may further comprise modifying a shape of a boundary between the plasma and the plasma sheath with a plasma sheath modifier so that a portion of the shape of the boundary is not parallel to a plane defined by a front surface of the substrate facing the plasma, wherein ions from the plasma impinge on the patterned resist features over a wide angular range during a first exposure.

09-15-2011

20110259408

METHOD FOR PATTERNING A SUBSTRATE USING ION ASSISTED SELECTIVE DEPOSITION - A method of patterning a substrate includes providing a focusing plate adjacent to a plasma chamber containing a plasma, the focusing plate configured to extract ions from the plasma through at least one aperture that provides focused ions towards the substrate. The method further includes directing first ions through the at least one aperture to one or more first regions of the substrate so as to condense first gaseous species provided in ambient of the substrate on the one or more first regions of the substrate.

10-27-2011

20110300696

METHOD FOR DAMAGE-FREE JUNCTION FORMATION - Embodiments of this doping method may be used to improve junction formation. An implant species, such as helium or another noble gas, is implanted into a workpiece to a first depth. A dopant is deposited on a surface of the workpiece. During an anneal, the dopant diffuses to the first depth. The noble gas ions may at least partially amorphize the workpiece during the implant. The workpiece may be planar or non-planar. The implant and deposition may occur in a system without breaking vacuum.

12-08-2011

20110309049

TECHNIQUES FOR PLASMA PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE - Techniques for plasma processing a substrate are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized with a method comprising introducing a feed gas proximate to a plasma source, where the feed gas may comprise a first and second species, where the first and second species have different ionization energies; providing a multi-level RF power waveform to the plasma source, where the multi-level RF power waveform has at least a first power level during a first pulse duration and a second power level during a second pulse duration, where the second power level may be different from the first power level; ionizing the first species of the feed gas during the first pulse duration; ionizing the second species during the second pulse duration; and providing a bias to the substrate during the first pulse duration.

12-22-2011

20120082942

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODIFYING PHOTORESIST USING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND ION IMPLANTATION - A method of reducing surface roughness of a resist feature disposed on a substrate includes generating a plasma having a plasma sheath and ions therein. A shape of the boundary between the plasma and plasma sheath is modified using a plasma sheath modifier, so that a portion of the boundary facing the substrate is not parallel to a plane defined by the substrate. During a first exposure, the resist feature is exposed to electromagnetic radiation having a desired wavelength and the ions are accelerated across the boundary having the modified shape toward the resist features over an angular range.

04-05-2012

20120083136

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODIFYING PATTERNED PHOTORESIST USING MULTI-STEP ION IMPLANTATION - A method of reducing the roughness profile in a plurality of patterned resist features. Each patterned resist feature includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall, wherein each patterned resist feature comprises a mid frequency line width roughness and a low frequency linewidth roughness. A plurality of ion exposure cycles are performed, wherein each ion exposure cycle comprises providing ions at a tilt angle of about five degrees or larger upon the first sidewall, and providing ions at a tilt angle of about five degrees or larger upon the second sidewall. Upon the performing of the plurality of ion exposure cycles the mid frequency and low frequency linewidth roughness are reduced.

04-05-2012

20120111834

PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS - A plasma processing apparatus includes a process chamber, a platen for supporting a workpiece, a source configured to generate a plasma in the process chamber, and an insulating modifier. The insulating modifier has a gap, and a gap plane, where the gap plane is defined by portions of the insulating modifier closest to the sheath and proximate the gap. A gap angle is defined as the angle between the gap plane and a plane defined by the front surface of the workpiece. Additionally, a method of having ions strike a workpiece is disclosed, where the range of incident angles of the ions striking the workpiece includes a center angle and an angular distribution, and where the use of the insulating modifier creates a center angle that is not perpendicular to the workpiece.

05-10-2012

20120137971

HYDROPHOBIC PROPERTY ALTERATION USING ION IMPLANTATION - A template used for printing is implanted to change the properties of the materials it is composed of. This template may have multiple surfaces that define indentations. The ion species that is implanted may be C, N, H, F, He, Ar, B, As, P, Ge, Ga, Si, Zn, and Al and is configured to render the implanted regions hydrophobic in one instance. This will reduce adhesion of a polymer to the template during a printing process. The implant may be at a plurality of angles so all surfaces of the template are implanted. In other instances, a film on the surface of the template is knocked in or hardened using the ion species.

06-07-2012

20120145918

METHOD OF IONIZATION - A plasma is formed from one or more gases in a plasma chamber using at least a first power and a second power. A first ion species is generated at said first power and a second ion species is generated at said second power. In one embodiment, the first ion species and second ion species are implanted into a workpiece at two different energies using at least a first bias voltage and a second bias voltage. This may enable implantation to two different depths. These on species may be atomic ions or molecular ions. The molecular ions may be larger than the gases used to form the plasma.

06-14-2012

20120175518

TECHNIQUE AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING ION MASS, ENERGY, AND ANGLE IN PROCESSING SYSTEMS - A time-of-flight (TOF) ion sensor system for monitoring an angular distribution of ion species having an ion energy and incident on a substrate includes a drift tube wherein the ion sensor system is configured to vary an angle of the drift tube with respect to a plane of the substrate. The drift tube may have a first end configured to receive a pulse of ions from the ion species wherein heavier ions and lighter ions of the pulse of ions arrive in packets at a second end of the drift tube. An ion detector may be disposed at the second end of the ion sensor, wherein the ion detector is configured to detect the packets of ions derived from the pulse of ions and corresponding to respective different ion masses.

07-12-2012

20120202340

N-TYPE DOPING OF ZINC TELLURIDE - ZnTe is implanted with a first species selected from Group III and a second species selected from Group VII. This may be performed using sequential implants, implants of the first species and second species that are at least partially simultaneous, or a molecular species comprising an atom selected from Group III and an atom selected from Group VII. The implants may be performed at an elevated temperature in one instance between 70° C. and 800° C.

08-09-2012

20120202341

N-TYPE DOPING OF ZINC TELLURIDE - ZnTe is implanted with a first species selected from Group III and a second species selected from Group VII. This may be preformed using sequential implants, implants of the first species and second species that are at least partially simultaneous, or a molecular species comprising an atom selected from Group III and an atom selected from Group VII. The implants may be performed at an elevated temperature in one instance between 70° C. and 800° C.

08-09-2012

20120213941

ION-ASSISTED PLASMA TREATMENT OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE - A boundary between a plasma and a plasma sheath is controlled such that a portion of the shape is not parallel to a plane defined by a front surface of the workpiece facing the plasma. Ions in the plasma are directed toward the workpiece. These ions can either seal pores or clean a material from a structure on the workpiece. This structure may, for example, have multiple sidewalls. A process that both cleans a material and seals pores in the structure may be performed.

08-23-2012

20120228515

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MASKLESS PATTERNED IMPLANTION - A method of implanting a workpiece in an ion implantation system. The method may include providing an extraction plate adjacent to a plasma chamber containing a plasma, such that the extraction plate extracts ions from the plasma through at least one aperture that provides an ion beam having ions distributed over a range of an angles of incidence on the workpiece. The method may include scanning the workpiece with respect to the extraction plate and varying a power level of the plasma during the scanning from a first power level to a second power level, wherein at a surface of the workpiece, a first beam width at a first power level is greater than a second beam width at a second power level.

09-13-2012

20120248328

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE SLOT ION IMPLANTATION - An ion implantation system may comprise a plasma source for providing a plasma and a workpiece holder arranged to receive a bias with respect to the plasma to attract ions across a plasma sheath toward the substrate. The system may also include an extraction plate arrangement comprising a multiplicity of different apertures each arranged to provide an ion beam having ions distributed over a range of angles of incidence on the workpiece, wherein a first ion beam extracted from a first aperture has a first beam profile that differs from a second ion beam extracted from a second aperture.

10-04-2012

20120258583

METHOD FOR EPITAXIAL LAYER OVERGROWTH - Oxygen, silicon, germanium, carbon, or nitrogen is selectively implanted into a workpiece. The workpiece is annealed to incorporate the ions into the workpiece. A compound semiconductor is then formed on the workpiece. For example, gallium nitride may be formed on a silicon, silicon carbide, or sapphire workpiece. The width of the implanted regions can be configured to compensate for any shrinkage during annealing.

TECHNIQUE AND APPARATUS FOR ION-ASSISTED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION - An apparatus for depositing a coating may comprise a first processing chamber configured to deposit a first reactant as a reactant layer on a substrate during a first time period. A second processing chamber may be configured to direct ions incident on the substrate at a second time and configured to deposit a second reactant on the substrate during a second time period, wherein the second reactant is configured to react with the reactant layer.

10-18-2012

20120276658

METHOD OF ETCHING A WORKPIECE - A workpiece is implanted to a first depth to form a first amorphized region. This amorphized region is then etched to the first depth. After etching, the workpiece is implanted to a second depth to form a second amorphized region below a location of the first amorphized region. The second amorphized region is then etched to the second depth. The implant and etch steps may be repeated until structure is formed to the desired depth. The workpiece may be, for example, a compound semiconductor, such as GaN, a magnetic material, silicon, or other materials.

11-01-2012

20120280140

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING CRITICAL DIMENSION AND ROUGHNESS IN RESIST FEATURES - A method of treating a photoresist relief feature having an initial line roughness and an initial critical dimension. The method may include directing ions toward the photoresist in a first exposure at a first angular range and first dose rate and a that is configured to reduce the initial line roughness to a second line roughness. The method may also include directing ions toward the photoresist relief feature in a second exposure at a second ion dose rate greater than the first dose rate, wherein the second ion dose rate is configured to swell the photoresist relief feature.

11-08-2012

20120286285

METHOD OF IMPLANTING A WORKPIECE TO IMPROVE GROWTH OF A COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR - A workpiece is implanted to improve growth of a compound semiconductor, such as GaN. This workpiece may be implanted such that the workpiece has a dose at a center different from a dose at a periphery. This workpiece also may be implanted one or more times to form a pattern of lines, which may be a grid, a series of circles, or other shapes. The distance between certain pairs of lines may be different across the workpiece.

11-15-2012

20120288637

METHODS OF AFFECTING MATERIAL PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS THEREFOR - Methods of affecting a material's properties through the implantation of ions, such as by using a plasma processing apparatus with a plasma sheath modifier. In this way, properties such as resistance to chemicals, adhesiveness, hydrophobicity, and hydrophilicity, may be affected. These methods can be applied to a variety of technologies. In some cases, ion implantation is used in the manufacture of printer heads to reduce clogging by increasing the materials hydrophobicity. In other embodiments, MEMS and NEMS devices are produced using ion implantation to change the properties of fluid channels and other structures. In addition, ion implantation can be used to affect a material's resistance to chemicals, such as acids.

11-15-2012

20120289030

ION-ASSISTED DIRECT GROWTH OF POROUS MATERIALS - Methods of creating porous materials, such as silicon, are described. In some embodiments, plasma sheath modification is used to create ion beams of various incidence angles. These ion beams may, in some cases, form a focused ion beam. The wide range of incidence angles allows the material to be deposited amorphously. The porosity and pore size can be varied by changing various process parameters. In other embodiments, porous oxides can be created by adding oxygen to previously created layers of porous material.

11-15-2012

20120293070

PLASMA ATTENUATION FOR UNIFORMITY CONTROL - A plasma processing apparatus and method are disclosed which create a uniform plasma within an enclosure. In one embodiment, a conductive or ferrite material is used to influence a section of the antenna, where a section is made up of portions of multiple coiled segments. In another embodiment, a ferrite material is used to influence a portion of the antenna. In another embodiment, plasma uniformity is improved by modifying the internal shape and volume of the enclosure.

11-22-2012

20120295444

TECHNIQUES FOR FORMING 3D STRUCTURES - A technique for forming 3D structures is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for forming 3D structures. The method may comprise providing a substrate comprising at least two vertically extending fins that are spaced apart from one another to define a trench; depositing a dielectric material in the trench between the at least two vertically extending fins; providing an etch stop layer within the dielectric material, the etch stop layer having a first side and a second opposite side; removing the dielectric material near the first side of the etch stop layer.

11-22-2012

20120309180

METHOD OF FORMING A RETROGRADE MATERIAL PROFILE USING ION IMPLANTATION - A method of forming a retrograde material profile in a substrate includes forming a surface peak profile on the substrate. Ions are then implanted into the substrate to form a retrograde profile from the surface peak profile, at least one of an ion implantation dose and an ion implantation energy of the implanted ions being chosen so that the retrograde profile has a peak concentration that is positioned at a desired distance from the surface of the substrate.

12-06-2012

20130045339

TECHNIQUES FOR DIAMOND NUCLEATION CONTROL FOR THIN FILM PROCESSING - Techniques for diamond nucleation control for thin film processing are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for generating a plasma having a plurality of ions; depositing a plurality of diamond nucleation centers on a substrate with the ions in the plasma using an extraction plate having at least one gap, wherein the plasma ions pass through the at least one gap in the extraction plate to generate a focused ion beam to deposit the plurality of diamond nucleation centers; and controlling the growth of a continuous diamond film from the diamond nucleation centers on the substrate by controlling at least one of a temperature around the substrate, a temperature of the plasma, a pressure around the substrate, and a concentration of the ions in the plasma.

02-21-2013

20130045557

DEPOSITION OF POROUS FILMS FOR THERMOELECTRIC APPLICATIONS - An improved method of creating thermoelectric materials which have high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity is disclosed. In one embodiment, the thermoelectric material is made by depositing a porous film onto a substrate, introducing a dopant into the porous film and annealing the porous film to activate the dopant. In other embodiments, additional amounts of dopant may be introduced via subsequent ion implantations of dopant into the deposited porous film.

02-21-2013

20130052810

ENGINEERING OF POROUS COATINGS FORMED BY ION-ASSISTED DIRECT DEPOSITION - In one embodiment, a method of producing a porous semiconductor film on a workpiece includes generating semiconductor precursor ions that comprise one or more of: germanium precursor ions and silicon precursor ions in a plasma of a plasma chamber, in which the semiconductor precursor ions are operative to form a porous film on the workpiece. The method further includes directing the semiconductor precursor ions to the workpiece over a range of angles.

02-28-2013

20130062309

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODIFYING RESIST OPENINGS USING MULTIPLE ANGLED IONS - A method of reducing roughness in an opening in a surface of a resist material disposed on a substrate, comprises generating a plasma having a plasma sheath and ions therein. The method also includes modifying a shape of a boundary defined between the plasma and the plasma sheath with a plasma sheath modifier so that a portion of the boundary facing the resist material is not parallel to a plane defined by the surface of the substrate. The method also includes providing a first exposure of ions while the substrate is in a first position, the first exposure comprising ions accelerated across the boundary having the modified shape toward the resist material over an angular range with respect to the surface of the substrate.

03-14-2013

20130064989

PLASMA PROCESSING OF WORKPIECES TO FORM A COATING - A surface of an insulating workpiece is implanted to form either hydrophobic or hydrophilic implanted regions. A conductive coating is deposited on the workpiece. The coating may be a polymer in one instance. This coating preferentially forms either on the implanted regions if these implanted regions are hydrophilic or on the non-implanted regions if the implanted regions are hydrophobic.

03-14-2013

20130135598

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING CRITICAL DIMENSION AND ROUGHNESS IN RESIST FEATURES - A computer readable storage medium containing program instructions for treating a photoresist relief feature on a substrate having an initial line roughness and an initial critical dimension, that, when executed cause a system to: direct ions toward the photoresist relief feature in a first exposure at a first angular range and at a first ion dose rate configured to reduce the initial line roughness to a second line roughness; and direct ions toward the photoresist relief feature in a second exposure at a second ion dose rate greater than the first ion dose rate, the second ion dose rate being configured to swell the photoresist relief feature.

05-30-2013

20130189579

Material Engineering for High Performance Li-ion Battery Electrodes - A method of treating an electrode for a battery to enhance its performance is disclosed. By depositing a layer of porous carbon onto the electrode, its charging and discharging characteristics, as well as chemical stability may be improved. The method includes creating a plasma that includes carbon and attracting the plasma toward the electrode, such as by biasing a platen on which the electrode is disposed. In some embodiments, an etching process is also performed on the deposited porous carbon to increase its surface area. The electrode may also be exposed to a hydrophilic treatment to improve its interaction with the electrolyte. In addition, a battery which includes at least one electrode treated according to this process is disclosed.

07-25-2013

20130234034

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLABLY IMPLANTING WORKPIECES - A plasma processing apparatus comprises a plasma source configured to produce a plasma in a plasma chamber, such that the plasma contains ions for implantation into a workpiece. The apparatus also includes a focusing plate arrangement having an aperture arrangement configured to modify a shape of a plasma sheath of the plasma proximate the focusing plate such that ions exiting an aperture of the aperture arrangement define focused ions. The apparatus further includes a processing chamber containing a workpiece spaced from the focusing plate such that a stationary implant region of the focused ions at the workpiece is substantially narrower that the aperture. The apparatus is configured to create a plurality of patterned areas in the workpiece by scanning the workpiece during ion implantation.

09-12-2013

20130247824

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODIFYING PHOTORESIST USING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND ION IMPLANTION - A method of reducing surface roughness of a resist feature disposed on a substrate includes generating a plasma having a plasma sheath and ions therein. A shape of the boundary between the plasma and plasma sheath is modified using a plasma sheath modifier, so that a portion of the boundary facing the substrate is not parallel to a plane defined by the substrate. During a first exposure, the resist feature is exposed to electromagnetic radiation having a desired wavelength and the ions are accelerated across the boundary having the modified shape toward the resist features over an angular range.

09-26-2013

20130287963

Plasma Potential Modulated ION Implantation Apparatus - An ion implantation apparatus including a first plasma chamber, a second plasma chamber and an extraction electrode disposed therebetween. The first and second plasma chambers configured to house respective plasmas in response to the introduction of a different feed gases therein. The extraction electrode is electrically isolated from the plasma chamber. An extraction voltage is applied to the first plasma chamber above a bias potential used to generate the plasma therein. The extraction voltage drives the plasma potential to accelerate the ions in the first plasma to a desired implant energy. The accelerated ions pass through an aperture in the extraction electrode and are directed toward a substrate housed within the second plasma chamber for implantation.

10-31-2013

20140017817

TECHNIQUES FOR TREATING SIDEWALLS OF PATTERNED STRUCTURES USING ANGLED ION TREATMENT - In one embodiment a method of method of treating a sidewall layer of a patterned feature includes providing the patterned feature as an etched structure comprising one or more layers disposed on a substrate and generally parallel to a plane of the substrate defined by a front surface of the substrate. The sidewall layer comprises material from the one or more etched layers. The method further includes arranging the substrate proximate a sheath modifier that is adjacent a plasma, and providing ions in an ion dose to the substrate by extracting the ions from the plasma through the sheath modifier, the ions impinging upon the substrate at an angle with respect to a perpendicular to the plane of the substrate.

01-16-2014

20140027274

Three Dimensional Metal Deposition Technique - A plasma processing apparatus is disclosed. The plasma processing apparatus includes a source configured to generate a plasma in a process chamber having a plasma sheath adjacent to the front surface of a workpiece, and a plasma sheath modifier. The plasma sheath modifier controls a shape of a boundary between the plasma and the plasma sheath so a portion of the shape of the boundary is not parallel to a plane defined by a front surface of the workpiece facing the plasma. A metal target is affixed to the back surface of the plasma sheath modifier so as to be electrically insulated from the plasma sheath modifier and is electrically biased such that ions exiting the plasma and passing through an aperture in the plasma sheath modifier are attracted toward the metal target. These ions cause sputtering of the metal target, allowing three dimensional metal deposition of the workpiece.

01-30-2014

20140034611

ENHANCED ETCH AND DEPOSITION PROFILE CONTROL USING PLASMA SHEATH ENGINEERING - A plasma processing tool is used to deposit material on a workpiece. For example, a method for conformal deposition of material is disclosed. In this embodiment, the plasma sheath shape is modified to allow material to impact the workpiece at a range of incident angles. By varying this range of incident angles over time, a variety of different features can be deposited onto. In another embodiment, a plasma processing tool is used to etch a workpiece. In this embodiment, the plasma sheath shape is altered to allow ions to impact the workpiece at a range of incident angles. By varying this range of incident angles over time, a variety of differently shaped features can be created.

02-06-2014

20140037858

ANISOTROPIC SURFACE ENERGY MODULATION BY ION IMPLANTATION - Methods of modulating a material's surface energies through the implantation of ions, such as by using a plasma processing apparatus with a plasma sheath modifier, are disclosed. Two or more ion implants may be performed, where the implant regions of two of the ion implants overlap. The species implanted by a first implant may increase the hydrophobicity of the surface, wherein the species implanted by the second implant may decrease the hydrophobicity of the surface. In this way, a workpiece can be implanted such that different portions of its surface have different surface energies.

02-06-2014

20140038393

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ION-ASSISTED PROCESSING - A method of processing a substrate includes performing a first exposure that comprises generating a plasma containing reactive gas ions in a plasma chamber and generating a bias voltage between the substrate and the plasma chamber. The method also includes providing a plasma sheath modifier having an aperture disposed between the plasma and substrate and operable to direct the reactive gas ions toward the substrate, and establishing a pressure differential between the plasma chamber and substrate region while the reactive gas ions are directed onto the substrate.

02-06-2014

20140080276

Technique For Forming A FinFET Device - A three-dimensional structure disposed on a substrate is processed so as to alter the etch rate of material disposed on at least one surface of the structure. In some embodiments, a conformal deposition of material is performed on the three-dimensional structure. Subsequently, an ion implant is performed on at least one surface of the three-dimensional structure. This ion implant serves to alter the etch rate of the material deposited on that structure. In some embodiments, the ion implant increases the etch rate of the material. In other embodiments, the ion implant decreases the etch rate. In some embodiments, ion implants are performed on more than one surface, such that the material on at least one surface is etched more quickly and material on at least one other surface is etched more slowly.

03-20-2014

20140234554

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PLASMA-ASSISTED ION BEAM PROCESSING - A system for processing a substrate may include a first chamber operative to define a first plasma and a second chamber adjacent the first chamber, where the second chamber is electrically isolated from the first chamber, and configured to define a second plasma. The system may also include an extraction assembly disposed between the first chamber and second chamber to provide at least plasma isolation between the first plasma and the second plasma, a substrate assembly configured to support the substrate in the second chamber; and a biasing system configured to supply a plurality of first voltage pulses to direct first ions from the first plasma through the second chamber towards the substrate during one time period, and to supply a plurality of second voltage pulses to generate the second plasma and to attract second ions from the second plasma during another time period.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLASMA CONTROL USING BOUNDARY ELECTRODE - An ion source may include a chamber configured to house a plasma comprising ions to be directed to a substrate and an extraction power supply configured to apply an extraction terminal voltage to the plasma chamber with respect to a voltage of a substrate positioned downstream of the chamber. The system may further include a boundary electrode voltage supply configured to generate a boundary electrode voltage different than the extraction terminal voltage, and a boundary electrode disposed within the chamber and electrically coupled to the boundary electrode voltage supply, the boundary electrode configured to alter plasma potential of the plasma when the boundary electrode voltage is received.

09-18-2014

20140272179

APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUES FOR ENERGETIC NEUTRAL BEAM PROCESSING - A processing system includes a plasma source chamber to generate a plasma; an extraction assembly adjacent the plasma source chamber having an extraction plate and a beam modifier, the extraction plate defining an extraction plate plane and an aperture to extract ions from the plasma source chamber into an ion beam, the beam modifier adjacent to the extraction plate and operative to adjust an ion beam trajectory angle of the ion beam with respect to a perpendicular to the extraction plate plane; and a neutralizer to receive the ion beam extracted by the extraction assembly, convert the ion beam to a neutral beam and direct the neutral beam towards a substrate, the neutralizer having one or more neutralizer plates arranged at a neutralizer plate angle, the extraction assembly and the neutralizer interoperative to provide an ion beam incident angle of the ion beam with respect to the neutralizer plates.

09-18-2014

20140272728

TECHNIQUES FOR PROCESSING PHOTORESIST FEATURES USING IONS - A method of treating a substrate includes directing first ions over a first range of angles to one or more photoresist features disposed on the substrate, the first ions effective to generate an altered layer in the one or more photoresist features, the altered surface layer encapsulating an inner portion of the one or more photoresist features, and directing second ions different from the first ions over a second range of angles to the one or more photoresist features, the second ions effective to generate gaseous species in the inner regions of the one or more photoresist features.

09-18-2014

20140273461

CARBON FILM HARDMASK STRESS REDUCTION BY HYDROGEN ION IMPLANTATION - Methods for forming a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer with desired film mechanical strength as well as optical film properties are provided. In one embodiment, a method of a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer includes providing a substrate having a material layer disposed thereon, forming an amorphous carbon layer on the material layer, and ion implanting hydrogen ions from a hydrogen containing gas into the amorphous carbon layer to form a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer.

09-18-2014

20140273502

TECHNIQUES TO MITIGATE STRAGGLE DAMAGE TO SENSITIVE STRUCTURES - A method for processing a substrate includes providing a set of patterned structures separated by a first gap on the substrate and directing first implanting ions to the substrate at a first ion energy, where the first implanting ions are effective to impact the substrate in regions defined by the first gap. The method also includes directing depositing ions to the substrate where the second ions are effective to deposit material on at least a portion of the set of patterned structures to form expanded patterned structures, where the expanded patterned structures are characterized by a second gap smaller than the first gap. The method further includes directing second implanting ions to the substrate at a second ion energy, where the second implanting ions effective to impact the substrate in regions defined by the second gap, the second ion energy comprising a higher ion energy than the first ion energy.